Pronounshe, him, his, his, himself

Department/College/UnitPhysical & Biological Sciences Division

TitleChair and Professor

AffiliationFaculty

Other UCSC Campus AffiliationEarth & Planetary Sciences Department

Web SiteProfessional
Other

Primary Office LocationCenter for Adaptive Optics
205

Additional Location(s)Center for Adaptive Optics (CfAO) 205

Mail StopUCO / Lick Observatory

Biography, Education and Training

BS, Iowa State University, 1999
PhD, University of Arizona, 2004
National Research Council Fellow and Spitzer Fellow at NASA Ames Research Center, 2004-2007

Summary of Expertise

Planetary Atmospheres
Planetary Interiors
Exoplanets
Brown Dwarfs

Research Interests

I try to understand different kinds of planets as classes of astrophysical objects. I am interested in characterizing planets to better understand their composition and how they evolve with time. I am mostly a modeler and theorist and I work very closely with observers. My work involves studying the atmosphere, interior, and thermal evolution of planets at ages young and old, within the solar system and around other stars, and at distances near and far from their parent stars.

Teaching Interests

Planets, Stars, and Planetary and Stellar Systems